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Cable Cars

The cable cars have made their mark on not just the city, but pop culture as well. Learn how to find them, the neighborhoods they service, fun facts and famous movies they appear in.

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San Francisco is one of the few places in the world where people can ride on a national historic landmark. The cable cars are the world's last manually operated cable car system, a tramway whose cars are pulled along by cables embedded in the street.

These right-out-of-the-Smithsonian cable cars were named a national historic landmark in 1964. Refurbished and equipped with new tracks, cables, turnarounds and cable propulsion machinery, they operate much as they did on Aug. 2, 1873 when Andrew S. Hallidie guided the first car down the Clay Street grade.

There are designated cable car stops along each route. Line up and wait for the cable car to approach and come to a full stop. Be aware of your surroundings as you step from the curb; cable cars share the road with cars and buses. Listen to the cable car operator's instructions for where you may sit or stand. Payment will be collected after you board.

You can find out about the history of San Francisco's cable cars—and even see the enormous mechanisms that keep the system running—at the San Francisco Cable Car Museum (1201 Mason St.). This fun attraction is open every day of the year (except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day) and is always free.

Did You Know?

9.7 million people ride the cable cars each year.

Building a cable car is an exacting art that takes several dozen craftsmen 18 to 24 months to complete.

Streetcars are different from cable cars

World War II opened up cable car jobs for African-Americans and women. Maya Angelou was a cable car conductor.